


For Want of an Axe

by Postal_Ninja



Series: The Warrior and the Huntress [2]
Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: Attraction, F/M, Mutual Pining, Prequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:47:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24326764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Postal_Ninja/pseuds/Postal_Ninja
Summary: A prequel/companion piece to'Someone Strong'. Relates how H'aanit and Olberic became interested in each other romantically.Spoilers for Someone Strong, and game story spoilers for chapters 2 to 4 for H'aanit and Olberic.
Relationships: Olberic Eisenberg & Therion, Olberic Eisenberg/H'aanit
Series: The Warrior and the Huntress [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1774747
Kudos: 7





	For Want of an Axe

Somewhere in the Woodlands outside of Victors Hollow, the eight travelers were setting up camp for the night. H'aanit had decided to make herself useful by hunting some game for the party to enjoy with their evening rations. As she made her way back towards the campsite with a wild goat slung over her shoulders and Linde, her snow leopard, following close behind, she was approached by the warrior, Olberic.

"H'aanit. I wonder if I might ask a favor of you," he began, then paused. "Would you allow me to carry that for you?"

H'aanit was puzzled. "Art thou asking for a favor, or offering one?" she questioned.

He shook his head, chuckling lightly. "No, I simply wished to borrow your axe. But that goat seems a heavy burden to carry, so I thought I might lend you my strength."

She smiled at him. "A kind offer, but I am fine. What need hast thou of my axe?" she inquired.

Falling in beside her as they returned to the camp, Olberic explained, "I have been gathering firewood and was in need of an axe to cut the longer branches down to size. Tressa seems to have misplaced our wood axe, so I am left without a proper tool to do so." He considered, then went on, "I promise to sharpen it for you when I am finished."

"That is considerate of thee," she replied. "Indeed, thou may maken use of my axe if thou wishest."

"My thanks," he told her with a smile as they entered the campsite and rejoined the others.

H'aanit set down the goat, then retrieved her axe. She handed it to Olberic, who thanked her again, and she sat to begin skinning and preparing her catch.

Olberic hefted the axe over his shoulder and went to the pile of wood he had left not far from where she had settled herself. He removed his gauntlets and surcoat, no doubt finding them unnecessary for the given task, and soon stood wearing only a light shirt tucked into his trousers. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing toned forearms, then set to work.

As she sat prepping the goat, H'aanit found her gaze straying up to observe Olberic at his task. She was certainly aware of her companion's strength, having most recently witnessed his skill with the sword at the tournament in Victors Hollow, but it occurred to her that she had never taken the time to... admire his physique. The fabric of his shirt clung to him just enough that she could see the definition in the muscles of his back and shoulders as he swung down the axe. Not to mention the impressive size of his flexed bicep as he hefted it.

Suddenly realizing where her thoughts were leading her, H'aanit quickly looked down again, and felt herself blushing. Olberic was a friend; she should not ogle him so. And yet, her gaze continued to stray to him. Certainly, he was handsome; tall, broad-shouldered, and exceedingly fit. A bit older than her, perhaps, but not so much as to make him undesirable. She watched his strong hands gripping the axe's haft, and idly wondered how they would feel against her skin. Catching herself, H'aanit's eyes immediately returned to the goat at her feet. She felt a mixture of shame along with a curious fluttering low in her stomach, and her cheeks were burning.

 _Getten a hold of thyself_ , she thought in frustration. She focused herself on the goat once more, willing her eyes to stay in place lest she slice her hand open in her distraction.

* * *

As he finished chopping the last log in the pile, Olberic wiped the sweat from his brow, invigorated by his efforts. He retrieved his whetstone and sat beside the woodpile to sharpen H'aanit's axe for her. Though the weapon was meant to cut flesh moreso than wood, its razor-sharp edge had done the job reasonably well. A formidable weapon, he thought, and heavier than he had expected when he had first lifted it. Indeed, H'aanit was stronger than she looked, though this came as no surprise to him. Though he had not had much occasion to make use of a bow, favoring close combat, he was aware that archers must be possessed of great strength in order to pull back a taut bowstring.

He finished sharpening the axe, then rose to hand it back to H'aanit. She met his gaze briefly as she accepted it, then looked away hurriedly. Strangely, she seemed to be blushing. He hoped he had not offended her by using her weapon for such a mundane task.

Olberic turned away, rubbing his hands together eagerly. There was a fire to be built.

* * *

Primrose sat near the campfire with her chin resting in her hand. Though her expression remained neutral, she was smirking on the inside. It had not escaped her notice how H'aanit had been distracted from her task by the sight of Olberic chopping wood across from her. Even now, the huntress kept casting glances at him every now and then, and blushing as she looked away.

 _Interesting,_ thought Primrose. She knew that H'aanit favored strong men, having asked her about it in Stillsnow not long ago. Though Primrose had been teasing, it now seemed that H'aanit's answer had been an honest one. And to think that her friend would not only find someone who attracted her eye at last, but that it would be one of their traveling companions, to boot. The smile Primrose had been trying to hide briefly touched her lips. She would have to keep an eye out and see what came of this new development.

* * *

That night, as Olberic slept, he had an unexpected dream. In it, he walked through the forest, lost, trying to find his way through the dark trees. Finally, a dim light ahead of him resolved itself into a clearing with a pool at its center. Standing in the water and facing away from him was a woman bathing. He could not tear his eyes away from her exquisite form, her bare, wet skin shining in the moonlight. She turned, and when she faced him, he saw that it was H'aanit.

Suddenly, she was in his arms. She looked at him and he wondered how he had never before noticed the impossible beauty of her eyes. He bent down to kiss her, and in the instant before their lips touched, Olberic woke with a start.

He lay with his eyes open in the dark, wondering where that dream had come from. Admittedly, he had thought to himself that H'aanit looked rather fetching when he had noticed her blushing earlier, but she was his traveling companion, and he felt he must be somehow dishonoring her with the lascivious imagery of his dream. As his eyes adjusted to the night, he could vaguely make out her sleeping form not far away, curled up on her bedroll with Linde sleeping at her side. He felt ashamed and hoped he could face her tomorrow without making a fool of himself. He shut his eyes again, willing himself to sleep.

* * *

As the group traveled, H'aanit found her thoughts to be split two ways. On the one hand, now possessed on the herb-of-grace potion Susanna had given her, she was mentally preparing herself for her inevitable confrontation with Redeye, and the return of her master. She did, however, find herself occasionally distracted by thoughts of a certain former knight of Hornburg.

They now journeyed towards the Sunlands and Wellspring, where Olberic hoped to face his erstwhile comrade, Erhardt. She could see the focus in his eyes, and she knew that once their business there was concluded, it would be time to continue on to Marsalim, where her own quarry waited. Seeing Olberic's determination gave her courage, and she vowed to not only meet her objective with a similar resolve, but to help him with achieving his in whatever way she could.

She considered Olberic a friend. True, she had begun to think of him differently as of late, but she kept those feelings to herself. If she admired him not only as a fighter but also as a man, there was no harm to that. She would not risk their friendship by clumsily confessing her attraction to him (the mere thought of attempting this sent her stomach sinking in horror). She tried to keep romantic thoughts of him out of her mind as best she could, though it proved a difficult task as she found herself sometimes dreaming of him. Her subconscious insisted on suggesting scenarios to her sleeping mind where Olberic held her in his arms and kissed her. To her immense shame, she even once dreamed of him unclothed! She could not meet his eyes for two days after that.

Frustrated with herself, H'aanit resolved to banish such thoughts of him from her mind until both their journeys were at an end. Olberic had more important things to worry about than his traveling companion's unrequited fascination with him. She would _not_ burden him with her childish feelings.

* * *

With a renewed sense of resolve, Olberic left Wellspring behind him. He had not expected his confrontation with Erhardt to end as it had, yet he found himself relieved at having been able to salvage a friendship with his former brother-in-arms. His true target, now, was this Werner.

But before he could go to Riverford and deal with the man, he needed to shift his attention to H'aanit's quest in Marsalim, where the group was now headed. As she came nearer to her goal of freeing her master from his stone prison, the statuesque huntress seemed of singular focus. Her eyes showed no fear at the prospect of facing such a terrible beast as this Redeye, and he found her bravery inspiring. Watching her, he had no doubt in his heart that she would succeed. He would do whatever he could to make sure of it.

He admitted to himself that ever since he had had that strange dream about her, he had regarded H'aanit in a different light. His gaze often found her of its own volition as they were traveling, and he could not help but admire the grace with which she held herself, as well as the haunting beauty of her features. He could not recall having met another woman quite like her before; so strong of body and of mind, yet possessed of such loveliness, and with a sense of honor not unlike his own. The word that kept coming to his mind to describe her was quite simply... perfect.

He scolded himself for wishing for her affection. It would be unforgivable of him to even consider distracting her from her objective by making things about himself. Besides, they shared a friendship, and he would not risk losing that rapport with her for the sake of his sentimentality. She needed support and assistance from him, nothing more. And thus, as they arrived in Marsalim, those things he would offer.

* * *

When at last the fell monster known as Redeye had been defeated, the party headed to Stonegard so that H'aanit may be reunited with her master.

The evening after this reunion, Therion was feeling restless and decided to head out for a bit of sport. When last they had been in Stonegard, he had perused the local merchants' wares with an eye for who might make an easy target. Now that they had returned, and with a bit of time to kill, he thought he would make good on his initial observations. He kept himself occupied with this until late into the night, when he made his way back to the inn with full pockets, and a ripe juicy apple in hand. That fruit vendor was an idiot if he thought his stock was well-protected in that rickety storehouse... Therion hadn't even needed his tools to pick the lock. Satisfied with the night's efforts, he smiled and enjoyed a bite of his ill-gotten apple as he lounged on a bench near the inn.

Suddenly hearing voices nearing his location, he moved into the shadows and peeked out at the street. Soon, he saw Olberic approaching with H'aanit at his side. Their infatuation with each other was so clear on their faces it was almost sickening. _So,_ Therion thought, _the bastard finally made his move_. Smug, the thief decided to have a little fun, and made his way towards them. Noticing Therion's approach, H'aanit continued inside, and the warrior stood waiting to hear what he had to say.

"Olberic. Nice night," he began, casually.

"Indeed," Olberic agreed, a note of disagreement already in his tone.  
  
Therion made his next statement with as much disinterest as he could muster; "So... You and H'aanit, huh?"

Olberic sighed, his brows furrowed. "And how would you happen to know about that?" he demanded.  
  
Therion snorted, delighting in the the knight's discomfort. "It doesn't take a scholar to figure it out. The way you two have been moon-eyed at each other these past few weeks, and now you just happen to come back to the inn together at this time of night, both smiling like your faces are stuck that way..." He couldn't help but point out, "Plus your cravat's crooked." He gave Olberic his cheekiest grin.

"Nevertheless... I would appreciate it if you kept your observations to yourself. This is between myself and H'aanit and does not concern you. There is no need to speak of it with the others," Olberic told him, scowling.  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't be surprised if they know what's going on. Some of them, at least," Therion shrugged, offering his insight. "Alfyn's had a knowing look whenever you two are within arm's reach of each other for a while now, but I'll wager Cyrus is as oblivious as ever." _Primrose has definitely figured it out, too,_ he thought, but chose not to voice this observation. "Anyway, don't worry yourself; I have no desire to discuss your love life with anybody. I have better things to do." He didn't, not really, he thought as he walked away, but Olberic certainly didn't need to know that.

Pleased with himself, Therion smirked. Making fun of Olberic was too easy. He'd long since noted the knight pining as he gazed at the huntress, and he was pretty sure he'd caught her blushing when she looked at Olberic too. It had taken far too long for the two fools to see that they were both equally smitten with one another. He chuckled, shaking his head.

Still, part of him did think about the fact that those two were just about perfect for each other. It may have taken them an eternity to get there, but now that they'd found each other, he suspected they would be in it for the long haul. Musing on this, he made a wager with himself. By year's end, if they weren't married, he would confess to Olberic that he'd been the one to hide the wood axe that time in the Woodlands when the warrior had been looking for it to no avail. Striding off into the night, Therion couldn't help but laugh.

**Author's Note:**

> I may have made Therion a bit more of a stinker than he is in canon, strictly because it amuses me. However, though he would never admit it to himself, he's secretly their biggest cheerleader <3


End file.
